HOUSTON -- Astros third baseman Ty Wigginton had hoped to return to the lineup Monday, but those plans will have to be pushed back a bit.

"I think I'm going to end up needing a few more days," Wigginton said Sunday morning.

Wigginton has been on the 15-day disabled list because of a fractured left thumb he suffered on April 6. He said he still can't catch the ball normally and that it is "absolutely" disappointing to him.

"I remember when I first went to the emergency room to get X-rays in Chicago. I'm sitting there thinking, 'I'm not going to have to go on the DL -- it's not that bad,'" Wigginton said. "And here we are two weeks later and I still can't catch.

"The fracture's got to get to a point where it will allow me to catch a ball. I don't care how bad it hurts, I can play with a little bit of pain -- it doesn't bother me -- but I've got to be able to catch the ball. The doctor said this is the week you normally see a lot of changes, so hopefully it's only a few days and not a full week."

In the meantime, Wigginton has been doing as much as he can to step right back into his starting job at third base when he's recovered.

"I run, lift weights, try to stay as ready as I can," he said. "I sit during the games on the bench, and I try to go through at-bats as if I'm hitting mentally. That aspect is still there. I get in [the batting cage] and take dry swings. I really haven't hit BP or anything."

Wigginton will be re-evaluated later in the week.